Happy Friday everyone, welcome to today's newsletter - let's chat about screen time.

Remember, we're here to help you worry smarter, not harder!

A Quick Thought From Us

In 2023, the average time teenagers spend on their phones a day is around 7.5 hours. Wowza! Technology addiction is more common than you might think, with experts guessing around 44% of teens in America struggling to detach from their phones.

As a parent, bringing up screen time and discussing limitations with your teen won't be a walk in the park. We’re here to discuss the risks of excessive screen time and ways to reduce it—conflict free.

Concerns around screen time

The use of screen time can have many effects on health, regarding lack of physical activity, headaches, and disrupting sleep cycles. Furthermore, social media can have drastically negative effects on teenagers.

Social media often leads to negative comparison and often more than not, based around a false sense of reality. Help your teen become an informed viewer: Studies have revealed that high social media consumption is correlated with depression, lower self-esteem, anxiety, higher stress levels, body insecurity, and loneliness.

Besides the mental health risks of social media, it is important to acknowledge the risks phones have on teenagers' lives given motor vehicle accidents are the main cause of accident related deaths in teens. In the same study, 2 out of every 5 teenagers admitted to saying they rode in cars with a teenager who was on their phone.

When we scroll through social media, it triggers the reward center in our brains. The little dopamine hits that occur when something exciting happens lead to the constant need to pick up the phone. Your teen’s mental health may be suffering from social media and they don’t realize.

What is a healthy amount of screen time?

According to 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, the healthiest amount of recreational screen time is 2 hours or less. To best support your teen for their future, try having conversations where they can practice their independence and self control to make sure when you’re not there, they still practice the same habits. 

Here are 5 ways to reduce screen time

1. Be a role model. Whatever you suggest to your teen, make sure you practice as well.

2. Create a safe space for conversation. Don’t immediately jump to scolding your teen when you look at their screen time or they tell you. Instead, ask your teen if they have thought of ways they can reduce their screen time and set up goals with them.

3. Turn social media notifications off to limit distractions throughout the day. It will help you and your teen feel less tempted to reach for the phone.

4. Set limits on apps so your teen can be made aware how long they are spending on each platform.

5. Have electronic free times during the week. This could include mealtimes, before bed, in the morning or consider setting aside time during the week for the family to do something together that doesn’t involve any electronics.  

   

Additional things to consider💭

Social media doesn’t always play the bad guy, and in many cases, your teen may feel more connected to a community through the bounds of social media than at school. However, when the privilege of technology is used in excess or incorrectly it can lead to bigger risks. As a parent or guardian, protect your teen by educating them on those risks and the potential of a social media addiction. Practice leading by example and remember to listen with an open mind because never before has a generation grown up so highly influenced by the means of technology. 

Learning the Landscape - Being a teen in 2023, kinda sucks

The current generation of teenagers has suffered more than any other due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the stressors of the modern digital world. Teenagers face more pressure to succeed than ever before and the combination of social distancing and social media has left teens feeling lonely, stressed, and anxious. In addition, parents are drained and burned out trying to manage the unknown ramifications of their teens' struggles in an unfamiliar digital world. Teens have always turned to their friends and parents to help them get through the hard parts of adolescence. Unfortunately, in 2023, teens have been left to rely only on themselves.

Feeling a bit more in tune with your teen? Schedule time to chat with our Somethings experts and learn more about our program below.

Send us feedback, questions, ideas, and more to [email protected].

See you all next week!